


Someday

by ylc



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: A little angst, Inspired by Inside Out (2015), M/M, hopeful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-09-17 17:23:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16978764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ylc/pseuds/ylc
Summary: The inner workings of Mycroft Holmes’ mind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So… this. I watched Inside Out with my daughter last night and ever since I watched it for the first time, I always thought I’d like to write something inspired by it, specially after seeing ngaijuuyan’s [wonderful art](http://ngaijuuyan.tumblr.com/post/160014529352/mycrofts-inside-out-au-all-done) (hope they don’t mind?) and well… I finally found the inspiration. It’s short and unresolved (as most of my one-shots lately, it seems) but I think it’s sweet so… there.
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy?
> 
>  
> 
>  

The Headquarters are quiet, as they usually are this late at night. The room is light up in the soft colors of the memory orbs, all carefully arranged, ready to be sent into long term memory.

It’s Joy!Mycroft’s turn to watch over the dreams and yet, his eyes stray to the colored orbs over and over again. He should have sent them into long term memory hours ago, but as usual, he has allowed them to linger, occasionally picking up one to revise it thoughtfully.

There must be at least a hundred orbs here and yet not one of them is a yellow one. Most are purple or green, the occasional blue and red joining them.

A whole day without a single happy memory.

God, how he wishes he could say it’s not a normal occurrence, but sadly, it is. Ever since Mycroft was a very young boy, the room’s walls were lined up with purple orbs, a scattered yellow ones here and there. Of course, Fear!Mycroft is their _de facto_ leader and he’s good, very good actually, but he wishes-- he wishes--

He turns around sharply, staring at the hub that contains the core memories and he goes to stand by it. He watches the islands, all of them dark now, but they’re not very colorful even during the day. His eyes go to the Alone island, as they tend to do, heart heavy, thinking of the purple/blue memory orb it’s connected to.

 _Alone is what we have. Alone is what protects us,_ Fear!Mycroft had said and the rest of them had nodded solemnly. It hadn’t ring true to Joy!Mycroft, not exactly: after all, he’s read all the manuals and he knows that human beings need others to actually thrive. But Mycroft has managed so far in life and he’s doing okay enough, so maybe Fear!Mycroft wasn’t completely wrong either.

And yet--

He stares at the rest of the core memories once again, all of them mostly purple, except for one. At the sight of it, Joy!Mycroft grins and then looks around, making sure he’s on his own. With all the care in the world, he pulls the orb out, cradling it in his arms with utmost care, staring at its contents with a dreamy smile. Inside the orb, the image of a seven-year-old Mycroft plays, looking as prim and proper as ever, holding in his arms the smallest buddle. Baby Sherlock, just a few hours old, stares at his older brother with a smile, small and precious, his first smile ever.

Inside Mycroft’s mind there’s a Family island, as there is in most people’s brains, but it’s connected to a purple/red/green/blue memory orb, his feelings for his family too complicated to properly describe. This memory however, this precious, _precious_ yellow memory is connected to the Brother island, which remained dark and glum for the longest time following Mycroft leave for Uni… but that is now, luckily, active once more.

Joy!Mycroft places the orb back in the hub, still smiling. The few happy memories that he manages to make are, more often than not, connected to time spent with Sherlock. Even when the brothers are arguing, even when conversations turn sour, all memories connected to Sherlock are yellow, even if sometimes tainted with other colours.

There should be more sources of joy in a man’s life, Joy!Mycroft thinks, but he supposes it’s good enough. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that.

Except--

Joy!Mycroft looks around himself once more, listening closely for any sound that might signal the other Emotions are up already. But the room remains silent and empty and he hurries in the direction of the control panel, recalling an old memory he has carefully hidden somewhere secret and safe, always worried Fear!Mycroft will find it and order it to be tossed into the memory dump.

The memory, although not as precious as baby Sherlock’s first smile, holds a special place in Joy!Mycroft’s heart. He switches off the current dream and puts on the memory instead, once more looking around himself. He’s a little paranoid, perhaps, but if he has learned anything from Fear!Mycroft is that you must never drop your guard.

The memory shouldn’t be anything noteworthy and yet it is. In it, a young Detective Inspector (just a Sergeant back then) waits inside a small café, a worried expression on his face that vanishes the minute he sees Mycroft walk into the café, being replaced by a bright smile.

If an outsider was to watch said memory, they probably would think it too simple, they probably wouldn’t understand it’s relevance. Joy!Mycroft doesn’t think he understands it that well either, but he does remember the absolute joy at seeing that smile; he remembers practically launching himself across the room to take control of the console. Fear!Mycroft had been rather annoyed at the occurrence, but he had barely noticed.

They’ve never been in love, of course, since it’s something Fear!Mycroft is most definitely against, but Joy!Mycroft still thinks he might get him to warm up to the idea. It won’t be easy and in the five years he’s been trying he hasn’t made that much of a progress, truth to be told but maybe-- maybe--

He believes the day will come when the walls will be lined with yellow orbs, with flashes of other colors here and there. There’s no precedence, of course, but Joy!Mycroft has nothing if not his endless optimism. The glass is always half full, if you learn how to look at it.

 _Someday,_ he thinks longingly.

Someday.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lack of self control is the stuff of legends, I swear :P In the sense that it’s supposed to exist but no one has ever seen it and if it ever makes an apparition, it’s because bad things are coming ;)  
> Anyway… here, have another chapter for this little “ficlet” and without further ado, enjoy!

“You can’t!” Joy!Mycroft cries, holding the precious yellow orb to his chest, realizing rather belatedly he has managed to corner himself in his attempt to escape his fellow emotions. “It’s a core memory! You can’t throw it away, that’s against the rules! It’s on the manuals!”

It actually isn’t, but hopefully the other emotions don’t know that. After all, they are usually pretty busy guiding Mycroft’s everyday, ignoring Joy!Mycroft at every turn and so leaving him to deal with the  _ boring stuff. _

Fear!Mycroft places his hands on his hips, imposing as ever and the other emotions retreat in fear. “We’re not keeping it,” he sentences darkly, reaching for the orb. “I told you this whole…  _ date _ was utter nonsense.”

“But it is a core memory!” Joy!Mycroft insists, clutching the orb tighter, turning around to shield it with his body. “It’s meant to create an island! You didn’t want the Brother Island either, remember? But it was a core memory and--”

“And keeping it was a clear mistake,” Fear!Mycroft interrupts sharply. “Or have you forgotten how much that nonsense has costed us? How  _ caring  _ about Sherlock has proved to be detrimental for our physical and mental health?”

It’s not completely untrue, Joy!Mycroft must acknowledge, ignoring the flash of pain he feels. Sherlock and their feelings for him have caused them quite a lot of grief over the years, but-- “It’s a happy memory,” he argues stubbornly, shaking his head. “There’s so little that makes us happy.”

“This,” Fear!Mycroft hisses, reaching for the orb once more and this time managing to snatch it. “Will bring us nothing but pain and hurt.”

“But--”

“He’s right,” Sadness!Mycroft interrupts, stepping forward. “It’s not meant to last and what will we do once it’s over?”

_ But it could last _ . If only-- “That’s not-- we don’t know that for certain,” Joy!Mycroft tries to argue although by now he’s mostly convinced it’s a lost cause. He eyes the core memory despairingly, wondering what will happen to it now. They really shouldn’t throw it away, but--

“We do know,” Fear!Mycroft murmurs sourly, having retreated to the core memories’ hub, watching the islands in silence. They all know what he means, of course and everyone’s eyes land on the Alone island. “Alone is what protects us,” Fear!Mycroft continues and everyone nods, except from Joy!Mycroft.

“What’s the use?!” he exclaims angrily, tired of always being pushed around and ignored, his opinions never mattering. “What’s life without risk? Are we really going to continue moving through life without  _ living _ ? Without taking any chances? Forever miserable?” he looks around, noticing his fellow emotions’ surprise at his outburst and he bites his lip nervously. “What’s the use?” he repeats defeatedly.

Silence falls over the Headquarters, no one daring to breath, let alone move. “This will bring us a whole different kind of misery,” Fear!Mycroft says finally and Joy!Mycroft hates how  _ wise _ he sounds. 

“You don’t know that,” he hisses angrily, stepping forward, reaching for the memory orb once again. “It could also bring us happiness like we’ve never known,” he says, snatching the orb. “But we must take a chance.”

“It won’t end well,” Fear!Mycroft insists, holding his stare evenly, but not making a move to recover the orb. “You’re dooming us. You doomed us the moment you took the control over the console from me and agreed to this doomed  _ date. _ ”

Maybe so. “Perhaps. But I will see it through.” Joy!Mycroft hadn’t been thinking, truth to be told. He simply reacted, reaching for the console before any of the other emotions could, knowing they’d say no to Detective Inspector Lestrade’s ( _ Gregory _ ) dinner invitation.

“So be it,” Fear!Mycroft sentences darkly, stepping aside, letting Joy!Mycroft place the core memory on its rightful place. The whole room holds their breath as the orb falls into its spot and a new island starts forming, the golden thread connecting it to the memory brighter than any other.

Joy!Mycroft’s eyes, however, remain on the newly formed memory. In it, Mycroft stands very still as his date stands on his tiptoes, leaning forward for a kiss. It was light and fleeting, barely deserving being called a kiss and yet--

The Love island explodes into life, colorful and cheery, very unlike the other ones. Joy!Mycroft smiles, turning to stare at the main screen once more, watching as Mycroft stands in front of the mirror, the smallest of smiles on his lips.

He made the right decision, he’s confident of that.

But only time will tell.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it’s another unresolved one! :P But it’s more on the happish side, isn’t it? ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought!
> 
> And also, may I remind you I’m participating on this year FTH’s auction? You can find my contributor post [here](https://fth2019offerings.dreamwidth.org/86759.html) and more information on the auction [here](https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org).
> 
> Once again, thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> So, thoughts anyone?  
> As I said, it’s short and unresolved, but I liked it and I thought I’d share ;)  
> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought?
> 
> English is not my native language, so any mistakes you find, please point them out!  
> You can also find me in [tumblr](http://ylc1.tumblr.com/)


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